This invention relates to an image recording apparatus such as a copying machine and more particularly to a magazine unit of the image recording apparatus for accommodating an image recording medium.
An image recording apparatus such as a copying machine generally includes a magazine or a magazine unit for accommodating a photosensitive pressure sensitive image recording medium, and in a conventional magazine for an image recording medium, a cylindrical winding shaft around which an elongated photosensitive pressure sensitive image recording medium such as microcapsule sheet is wound is rotatably accommodated in the magazine, and another winding shaft is mounted to be rotatable outside a magazine body for winding up a used photosensitive pressure sensitive image recording medium. Such a conventional magazine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,362. In such a magazine, when the whole photosensitive pressure sensitive image recording medium has been used up and taken up around the winding shaft outside the magazine, the magazine body and the two winding shafts together with the used photosensitive pressure sensitive image recording medium are taken out from the image recording apparatus and new ones are thereafter mounted thereon.
However, in the described prior art technology, it is necessary to exchange the magazine body and the winding shafts for new ones and the used ones should be thrown away, thus being not economical and inconvenient.